# awk

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ɔːk/ · frequency rank #65,707

## Definitions
1. Odd; out of order; perverse.
2. Wrong, or not commonly used; clumsy; sinister.
3. Clumsy in performance or manners; not dexterous; awkward.
4. Awkward; uncomfortable.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó
Proto-Indo-European *h₃ekʷ-
Proto-Indo-European *h₂époh₃kʷos
Proto-Germanic *abuhaz
Old Norse ǫfugrder.
Middle English awke
English awk
From Middle English awke, from Old Norse ǫfugr, ǫfigr, afigr (“turned backwards”) (whence Danish avet (“backwards”), Swedish avig (“turned backwards”)), from Proto-Germanic *abuhaz. Cognate with German äbich, Gothic 𐌹𐌱𐌿𐌺𐍃 (ibuks, “turned back”). Akin to Sanskrit अपाच् (apāc, “turned away”). Compare dialectal Danish ave (“to turn”), Dutch averechts (“opposite, backwards, contrary”), Icelandic öfga (“to reverse”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/awk